MILLE



OBJECTIVE OF MILLE:  Be the first player to reach 1200 points or more

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 players

NUMBER OF CARDS: 104 cards, Two standard 52 card decks

TYPE OF GAME: Rummy

AUDIENCE:  Adults


INTRODUCTION OF MILLE

Mille is a fairly new game created in Canada.  It is a two player Rummy game that challenges players to create sets of cards and empty their hand.  Mille differentiates itself from other rummy games by requiring only sets of three or more to be played.  Runs are not a part of this game. 

What makes Mille exciting is its scoring system.  Specific cards are worth more points, and players earn major bonus points for avoiding use of the wild cards.

In this game, a set is made up of three or more cards of the same rank.  A natural set does not have any wild cards in it.  A perfect set is made up of all eight cards in the same rank.

THE CARDS & THE DEAL

Mille uses a 104 card deck that is comprised of two standard 52 card decks. 

To determine the dealer, each player should draw a card from the deck.  The player who draws the lowest card is the dealer. 

Thoroughly shuffle the deck and pass out fifteen cards to each player.  The remaining cards are placed in the center of the playing space.  This is the draw pile.  The dealer then flips the top card over to form the discard pile.

Once the cards have been dealt and the draw & discard piles established, the game may begin.

It should be noted that in Mille the discard pile is staggered in such a way that the cards can all be seen.  This is similar to Rummy 500.

THE PLAY

Each turn contains three parts: drawing, melding, and discarding.  The game begins with the player opposite of the dealer.

A player’s turn begins by either taking the top card from the draw pile or the discard pile.  That card is then added to their hand.  If the player chooses to take the top card from the discard pile, they must play that card in a set that turn.  They also must take the entire discard pile if there is more than one card in it.  For example, if the discard pile is 3,5,K,Q, and the player wants the Q, they may pick it up along with the 3,5,K and immediately play a set of Queens to the table.

During their turn, a player may meld as many sets as they wish.  They may also add cards to any other sets they have laid previously.  Players may not add cards to their opponent’s sets.

Once a player is finished melding cards, they must discard.  Do so by choosing one card and laying it on top of the discard pile.  A player’s turn is over once they have discarded.

Play like this continues until a player lays or discards their final card.  Once their hand is empty, the round is over. 

WILDS

In Mille, 2’s are wild.  They may be used to to represent any card that is needed.  They may also be melded into sets of 2’s if the player wishes to do so.  This is called using the 2’s naturally.

A 2 drawn from the top of the discard pile may only be used naturally to create a set of 2’s.  It cannot be used as a wild in order to create a set.  2’s may not be used to form a meld with the top card drawn from the discard pile.  For example, if the player takes the 7 from the top of the discard pile, they must play it in a set with at least two other 7’s.  They may not use a wild in that set.  These sets must be natural.  

There are bonus points awarded if a player does not use any wilds.  There are also bonus points awarded for creating a perfect set of eight cards without the use of wilds.  Using the 2’s naturally allows for the bonus points to be awarded.

On the first turn of the game only, if a 2 is flipped over to become the draw pile, the non dealer may pick it up without being required to play it.  The rest of their turn is normal. 

SCORING

CardsPoints
Queen of Spades100 Points
Jack of Diamonds50 Points
2’s20 Points
Aces15 Points
Face Cards & Tens10 Points
3’s – 9’s5 Points

At the end of the round, each player earns points based on the melds they have created. 

The player who emptied their hand earns points based on the melds they have created.  The total value of the melded cards is their score for the round.

The player who did not empty their hand must subtract the value of the cards remaining in their hand from the value of the melds they have created.  That total is their score for the round.  It is possible for that score to be a negative number.

Scores are kept cumulatively from round to round.  The first player to reach 1200 points or more wins the game.  In the event of a tie, continue playing until the tie is broken.

BONUS POINTS

If a player is able to create a perfect set of eight cards, the total score for that set is doubled.  For example, if a player creates a perfect set of eight 5’s, the total score for that meld is 80 points (5x8x2=80)

Remember, 2’s are worth 20 points each, so a perfect set of eight 2’s earns a player 320 points.

If a player empties their hand without using any wild 2’s in any of their sets, their total score for that round is doubled.

Also, if a player goes out without using any wild 2’s, perfect sets of eight cards are worth four times as many points.  For example, if a player has eight 7’s, and has not used any wild 2’s, they earn 224 points for the set of 7’s (8x7x4=224).

As you can see, there are big points awarded for avoiding the use of wild 2’s. 

Mark Ball
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